MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Doing what is best for the city and its residents, says Morgantown City Councilman Jay Redmond, is why he wants to strengthen the city’s ordinances restricting panhandling.
The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia sent a letter to the Morgantown city attorney and each member of city council last week stating that it would challenge any ordinance approved by council it believed to be unconstitutional. The letter said legal action was not preferable but a possibility if such an ordinance was implemented.
“It’s a veiled threat at the least and it’s probably a direct threat if you want to read it in certain context,” Redmond said on Tuesday’s Morgantown A.M. on Metronews affiliate WAJR-AM.
“I appreciate the ACLU’s position on protecting constitutional rights but I really don’t think threats should play much into our efforts toward doing what’s best for our city and our citizens. I really don’t like that approach from them but I’ve not really dealt with them before. Perhaps that’s how they do things.”
Redmond first brought up the issue of aggressive panhandling in the downtown area and has been exploring other ordnances in other cities looking for ways to toughen Morgantown’s code while not infringing on individuals’ rights.
“If we can strengthen our ordinances that’s a benefit to our city and to our downtown and I think that’s path we ought to go.”
So far, no proposed ordinances have been brought before city council.